Sunday, 28 February 2010

I'm still wandering through the forest of old books, ever so slightly lost, but not panicking.

Some beers were still vatted for long periods, but the practice, like the aged taste, was going out of fashion. It's a process that can be difficult to track down in archive records. Especially what happened at the end of the maturation process.

"The best and most proper mode of storing and keeping beer is well worthy of the greatest attention. There are, however, many contradictory opinions upon this subject. Some think that all beer, but particularly ale, should be flattened, as it is called, before being stored in vats or casks. For this purpose, where slow fermentation and skimming are practised, large open vessels or tanks are provided, into which the beer is run, after having been a sufficient time, as it is considered, in the gyle or fermenting tun. The ale or beer is allowed to remain in these vessels for a longer or shorter time, according to the fancy of the brewer or storehouseman. It is during this period imbibing oxygen from the atmosphere, and sometimes is allowed to remain there until acidification has distinctly commenced, as indicated by white spots appearing on the surface, and by an increase of temperature. The brewer who adopts this practice, thinks the beer is so much flattened as to prevent its fretting in the vat. It will be found, however, that although the beer, from some little decrease in temperature by its removal, may be quiet enough for a time, yet the least increase of heat or exposure to the atmosphere, will again set it in motion; when, by getting on the fret, acidity may be produced. It never can be thoroughly sound, and will very soon become flat in drawing. It will also be found that when beer has been too long flattened in this way, before being stowed in casks, it will very soon get flat and forward when in draught in the publicans' cellars.

This, therefore, must be a very erroneous mode of treating beer. Some brewers, who have no tanks for the purpose, pump their beer from the cleansing casks again into a fermenting-tun, where it is often allowed to remain until the same indications of acidity, as above mentioned, may have taken place, when the same bad consequences may be dreaded. One great complaint is, that though ale tastes very well when first tapped, yet it very soon gets flat and forward, and will not stand the draught. How can it, we may ask, when acidification has previously commenced by long exposure to the atmosphere ?

We think enough has been said to prove that long exposure of beer to the atmosphere is the worst mode of treating it. The laws of chemical science, not less than the facts, establish this conclusion.

When beer of any kind has gone through a regular and sound process of fermentation, and has had full time to throw off its yeast and get quiet, which will always happen in a few days, any further exposure to the atmosphere is not only useless, but injurious.

It should, if sufficiently cool (say about 52° F., which all stock beer must be on the third day after cleansing, when brewed in proper season), be pumped into the vat; the bottoms which are pumped over along with it will soon fall down, proving rather a preservative than otherwise.

The vats, when full, should be covered, and sand thrown on the cover, more effectually to exclude the atmosphere. A loaded self-acting vent-peg fixed in the top, would, however, be very desirable, so as to permit any elastic gas which may be produced to escape.

If the storehouse can now be kept at a regular temperature, no other precaution is necessary; but when liable to be affected by summer heats, the sand on the top of the vats should be sprinkled with common salt, which retains the moisture, and also be kept damp with water. This by evaporation will tend to keep the beer cool. When the beer, instead of being vatted, has to be stowed in casks proper for sending out, they should be conveyed to the storehouse, and placed upon wooden bearers; then, instead of the bung-holes being left open, which is the common practice, bungs should be inserted slightly, so as to be easily thrown out if necessary. Holes should also be bored into every cask, either through or near the bung, and spiles or pegs inserted, so as at any time to give vent, should that be required. After having given vent, however, the bungs or pegs should be immediately replaced. By this treatment the beer, if properly brewed, will very soon become quiet, and if not exposed to higher temperatures, will require no further attention until it is sent out."
"A practical treatise on brewing" by William Black, 1866, pages 141-144.

It does seem odd that all the sediment was put into the vat with the beer.Surely the whole point of cleansing was to remove all that crap?

That's probably enough from William Black. Some of his ideas are so crazy that it makes you doubt everything in his book. The stuff about electricity spoiling beer is a bout as whacky as it gets.

Saturday, 27 February 2010

You must be getting an idea of how anarchically I go about my research. What I post here truly reflects my current studies. You don't want to know what the inside of my head looks like.

Though traditionally used as a way of imparting young beer with an aged flavour, there were other reasons for blending. Principally, as a way of disposing of otherwise unsaleable beer. From the description below, it sounds like this was a tricky process:

"The process of mixing beers is technically denominated 'marrying' them. This process is seldom attempted with mild ales, but with the more hardy beer called porter, it is very generally practised. Mild beer is now become the order of the day; and old beer, excepting when mixed with new, is seldom drunk. The uncertainty of brewing, the reasons of which we have attempted to explain, occasions a great deal of beer to be returned by the publicans to the brewer, principally in summer. These returns are stowed in vats, where they are allowed to remain until they are thought to be in a fit condition to be mixed with mild new beers, the only way by which they can be got rid of. This is occasionally done by breaking the old beers into the gyle-tuns with the worts, while in a state of fermentation, which is a very dangerous mode of working: for if the fermentation should be in the least degree languid, the addition will make it more so, and the whole gyle, or brewing, will be unfit to be sent out. This injudicious plan has sometimes been followed to such an extent, as to block up the brewer; that is to say, he at last accumulates such a quantity of unsaleable beer, as not to leave room for brewing any more, until, perhaps, he has been obliged to turn some of his stock down the kennel. Others break their old beer into the breaking batch (or vessel into which the porter is run before being pumped into the vats) with the mild beer. This mode of working may also be unsafe; for unless the fermentation has been vigorous and healthy, and the old beer brought into a fit state for mixing, no combination will take place; the beer will retain a double flavour, and be occasionally unfit to be sent out, unless by being brought into proper condition, and again mixed off with mild beer. From the above remarks, it will be seen that marrying or mixing beers is a very dangerous process, unless when thoroughly understood by the operator.

Old beer can never be in a proper state for mixing off, unless when brought round (as it is called) for that purpose. This can only be done by again bringing it into a state of fermentation in the vat: after which, if properly treated, it will generally become bright and sparkling; that is to say, if it has not got so bad as to be totally irrecoverable, or unfit for use in any way excepting in making blacking. It will then at once combine with any sound mild beer, and instead of injuring, will improve the flavour. Judiciously to bring on the above-mentioned fermentation in the vat, and at the same time so as not to carry it too far, requires a good deal of skill, and can only be accomplished by those who have been accustomed to such management. Where the process of fermentation is properly and scientifically conducted, these artifices, rendered necessary generally, by neglect or ignorance, will seldom be required."
"A practical treatise on brewing" by William Black, 1866, pages 139-141.

Least you think such practices belong to the dim and distant past, such recycling of returned beer was still common as recently as the 1970's and 1980's. The old system of taxation - basically on the wort before it was fermented - encouraged brewers to recover as much waste beer as possible. Brewers were allowed 6% wastage from the brewing process. If a brewery could get the actually wastage figure below this, they could effectively get some beer free of tax. The returns were usually recycled in a beer like sweet Stout, where a lorryload of caramel and sugar could hide any nastiness.

Friday, 26 February 2010

More from Andrew Campbell's excellent "The Book Of Beer". How appropriate that it was published in the year of my birth.

First, his take on the ingredients of Stout:

"To produce stout the proportion of pale malt will be lower [than two-thirds], perhaps down to under half the total, with sugar in a two to one proportion to a blend of higher roasted crystal or amber malts, and some black malt. Darker colour and fuller flavour will result. London stouts are mostly lightly hopped and sweet; Irish stouts bitter. Occasionally a proportion of oat malt is added to accentuate the mealy flavour."
"The Book Of Beer" by Andrew Campbell, 1956, page 85.

He's not 100% accurate with regard to London Stout. Whitbread used a combination of mild ale malt, brown malt, chocolate malt and No3 invert sugar. Barclay Perkins went with a mix of mild ale malt, brown malt, crystal malt, back malt or roasted barley and dark brewing sugar.

He goes on to describe the types of Stout available. Public taste, it appears, was moving towards sweeter Stouts in most instances.

"Ordinary stouts are not often to be found on draught, as their rather full qualities can mature to excess and spoilage will result. Guinness, a strong Irish stout, reaches perfect condition within three or four days of bottling, when it will be rich, full and creamy. Kept in storage too long it may become stale and develop a rather acrid flavour. Guinness is a well-hopped stout, brewed without sugar, and has a bitter flavour which makes the regular drinker reject the sweeter stouts.

During the last few years Younger, Charrington, Watney and other brewers have produced sweet stouts, for which there is strong demand. Some are new brews, some area new name and label to replace the pre-1939 milk stout, now illegal unless the brew actually contains milk.

The stronger stouts - Guinness, Whitbread's, Mackeson's, Hammerton's (Watney's) - range upwards from 1040º. The import figures from Eire show quite clearly that Guinness is around 1046º, with about 4.5 per cent alcohol by volume. There are a few very strong types, such as Barclay's Imperial Stout and Simond's Archangel Stout, brewed well above the 1070º mark and getting toward the strength, bulk for bulk, of French wine.

Analysis of figures published in various trade and scientific journals in recent years show the following typical srengths of stout:

Stouts in the mid 1950's

Number of examples

gravity

type

1

1032º

Ordinary stout

1

1036º

Ordinary stout

5

1040º-1042º

Stronger stout

8

1045º-1047º

Including several London and Irish brews

3

1050º-1052º

Stronger still

1

1055º

A Scottish brew

3

1075º

Very strong

1

1092º

The strongest

Source:

"The Book Of Beer" by Andrew Campbell, 1956, page 86.

Fifteen similar samples for mild show four as low as 1023º, one at 1028º, four at 1031º-1033º, and six in the best mild category of 1037º-1039º. A Scotch ale was 1043º, and a best mild was as high as 1046º, which really puts it with the Burtons.

The Scotch ales sold in the South of England are stronger sweet mild beers, but there are distinctions between brews which are considered in a later chaper."
"The Book Of Beer" by Andrew Campbell, 1956, pages 85-87.

He wasn't far out with his estimation of Guiness's OG. As you'll see below, is was around 1047º. There was a bigger spread of gravities than for other styles, covering pretty much the whole range of British beer strengths.

I'm pleased to see that he differentiates between London and Irish Stout. Though sweet Stout was not totally dominant amongst English Stouts.

Here's my own table, which corroborates many of Campbell's assertions: